


Mecha Naruto

by kelsoE



Category: Naruto
Genre: Alternate Universe - Science Fiction, F/M, Gundams, Pre-War, Slow Romance, War
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-07-10
Updated: 2020-07-14
Packaged: 2021-03-05 00:27:55
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 4
Words: 11,820
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25175365
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kelsoE/pseuds/kelsoE
Summary: Naruto, but with giant fuckin' robots rather than ninjas. Naruto is a soldier, trained from birth, but he struggles to keep up with more naturally talented pilots like that bastard Sasuke. He, inside his trusted gundam Kurama, wants to be the greatest pilot in the solar system, end the war, and make the old man happy. But after he gets a call from big brother Itachi,  he and his rival start to gain mysterious powers, everything he thought he knew is thrown into question.
Relationships: Haruno Sakura & Uzumaki Naruto, Hyuuga Hinata/Uchiha Sasuke, Hyuuga Hinata/Uzumaki Naruto
Kudos: 5





	1. Pilot

“Hey Bastard, I bet I can beat you to Heliopolis,” Naruto said. The space colony was represented as a tiny dot on the monitor of his mobile suit, with an indicator above it citing a bunch of its stats. It was a military base hidden in the asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter that housed around thirty thousand enemy soldiers, and dozens of scientists conducting cutting edge research. They were here to sabotage the work of Tsunade Senju, who was building some kind of super weapon for the space colonies. Why she did this Naruto didn’t know, nor did he care. She probably believed in eugenics, and thought that the Naturals, naturally born humans that resided on earth, were inferior to the Coordinators, superhumans with genetically designed genomes that came from space. So yeah, Naruto wasn’t gonna lose much sleep over destroying some space nazi’s life work.

“Idiot,” Sasuke said through the communication line. “We don’t want to go charging in. This is a stealth mission. Besides, it’s not like a loser like you could ever beat me.”

Naruto growled. It was a lame comeback, but stung because it was kind of true. Sasuke had a knack for finding the solar winds and riding them to victory. Naruto wasn’t on Sasuke’s level, not yet, and he never would be if he stopped trying. Naruto flipped the switch for overdrive, rotated his suit, and shot exhaust blasters out of his feet. His ship, Gundam 04 codenamed Kurama, accelerated rapidly, but he’d lined up the track to Heliopolis perfectly, and the g-forces attacked him from head-to-foot rather than chest-to-back or shoulder-to-shoulder. Easy. He switched to his rear camera, and saw that Shikamaru and Shino lagged behind, in Gundam 05 codenamed Shadow and Gundam 06 codenamed Bug. But where was Sasuke?

A red, white, and blue Gundam with metallic angel wings flew past him. Sasuke’s Gundam: The Strike. Naruto growled and glanced at the controls. At three switches right next to one another. He’d already pulled one, but he’d need the other two for the upcoming battle. It would be foolish and irresponsible to waste precious fuel on a juvenile race with a friendly riv- Sasuke’s smug handsome mug flashed in Naruto’s mind- but no matter how tempting it would be to knock the arrogant ace down a couple pegs Naruto would not endanger the mission on a petty rival-... Well it appeared he’d accidently pressed the switch. Oh well. Gundam 04 rocketed forward, but he still found himself eating The Strike’s exhaust until Sasuke disappeared into a cloud of metal asteroids. Naruto switched to a 2-D view, viewing the many asteroids as moving dots on a map. He carefully darted through them, trying to take the quickest route to Heliopolis. This wasn’t a videogame though, where a stray rock would bounce off your suit. Any debris that so much as nicked his Gundam would do tremendous damage to his shields. They were always useless against a direct hit, but could normally redirect two glancing blows before shutting down. He’d wasted about a third of his ship’s energy when he’d used the boosters to keep pace with Sasuke, so his shields only had enough energy for a single deflection. If they went down he’d have to return to White Base for repairs, and explain to old man Fugaku why he’d come back before their mission had even begun. No, it was better to be careful. Slowly but surely, Heliopolis transformed from a speck to a… a… It looked kind of like an electric beater, the kind you mixed dough with. Only bigger, and with trees and buildings on it. And maybe… Naruto squinted. Could he actually see the Coordinators roaming on the streets below?

“Took you long enough, Idiot,” Sasuke said through the communication line. Naruto glanced around, but couldn’t find The Strike. Just a bunch of big floating lumps of space granite. “Above you deadlast.”

Ahh. There he was. With Shikamaru’s black suit, and Shino’s camouflaged suit. Naruto hung his head as he joined the rest of his team. “You’re still nothing compared to Itachi.”

“What did you say?” Sasuke asked, his rage transparent through the communication line.

“I’m saying that if Itachi-”

“Shino,” Shikamaru interrupted. “Have your drones found any holes in Heliopolis’es security yet?”

“...” said Shino. His mobile suit shook his head.

Naruto noticed a flashing light, indicating a call from a private communication line. He accepted. 

“Why’d you have to go and bring up Itachi?” Shikamaru complained. Naruto thought he heard some scratching noises through the line. “You know how Sasuke gets. Now he’s gonna act like a total psycho. Damn, this mission’s gonna be a real pain!”

Naruto sighed. “I know, I know. It’s just… All the girls think he’s the greatest thing since instant ramen, and all the commanders act like he’s the best pilot since Hiashi Hyuga. He’s even got a loving father dammit! I’d give anything to have what he’s got, and he treats it like it’s garbage.”

“I don’t know if I’d call Fugaku loving,” Shikamaru said, and Naruto heard something scratching. “But I get it, he’s a jerk. He irritates me too, but we need him, Naruto. We need him at his best.”

“No we don’t,” Naruto said. “If he weren’t here I could be the ace.”

“Right. Sure,” Shikamaru sighed. “Just don’t bring up Itachi again okay? And Naruto, one more thing.”

“What?” Naruto asked flatly.

“What were the contributing factors that started The Great Solar War? I know you love this kind of stuff, and I can’t get any reception here.”

Naruto frowned. “You’re doing your History homework now?”

“I told my mother I’d get it done before I left for the mission,” Shikamaru said miserably. “But I was tired so I took a nap in the holo room instead. I didn’t have a choice! They finally reinstalled meadow hill on a cloudy day! You know how long I’ve been waiting for that one to come back!”

It was Shikamaru’s favorite thing to complain about: No clouds in the holo room. He’d even written a strongly worded email to the old man about it. A lot of people thought that Shika was just a lazy good-for-nothing who didn’t care about anything, but they didn’t know of his passion for clouds and slacking off.

Someday, Naruto wanted to be the pilot to end the war, and finally see the old man happy. Someday, Sasuke wanted to surpass his older brother and make his father proud. If Naruto didn’t know any better, he’d think that someday Shikamaru wanted to grow up and be a cloud.

“It all started with President Minato Namikaze of the Forest Colony in Mars,” Naruto said. Everyone always said he looked just like the tyrant. Shikamaru and Shino told him that the reason he’d never been adopted was because of the resemblance. It wasn’t cuz there was something horribly wrong with him. They had both told him that separately, as they were taken from the orphanage by their new parents. Someday Naruto would find a couple who would see past his appearance and take him in as their own. But well… Naruto still had the old man, he didn’t need any paren- fuck Minato Namikaze! Fuck him, fuck him, fuck him!

“He killed millions of Naturals. He put them in camps, and gassed them like animals! He was a real freak, but eventually we- this is for a report right?”

“Yeah,” said Shikamaru.

“Alright, we meaning The Trade Federation and The Union of Free Citizens, the two most powerful countries on earth, found peace. President Sarutobi and Commander Danzou agreed that we needed to do something big, to stop Namikaze. So we nuked ‘em.” Naruto shook his head. It had been a horrible thing to do, but it had been the best option they’d had. The Forest Colony had been pure evil back then. “A lot of civilians died, but at least we got President Namikaze and stopped the genocide. But the other space colonies, they didn’t like what we’d done. They didn’t care that he’d been killing Naturals,” Naruto scowled. Coordinators didn’t age like Naturals, and didn’t put any value on the death of someone who would have inevitably died of old age anyways. “The genocide didn’t matter to them. They thought the nuclear strike was unprovoked. So they attacked earth with PLANTS. Machines that made fission impossible. They said it was to neutralize the threat of nuclear weaponry, but… Billions died of hunger.” Naruto had been a toddler then. He remembered dark nights, cold days, worried whispers, and empty stomachs. They’d eaten rats, then pigeons, then minnows, and in the winter sometimes nothing at all. He’d gotten weak and skinny, but so had everyone else. He’d had it easy. The old man was rich, and had spoiled them all. He’d heard of families that had eaten their clothes, their pets, and then each other. “We had no choice. The fuckin’ Coordinators wanted us all dead! We had to defend-”

“You’re a Coordinator Naruto,” Shikamaru said, his voice heavy with concern. “So am I. So are Shino and Sasuke.”

“I know that,” Naruto said, and he did. He needed to be more understanding if he wanted the war to end. “After the PLANTS, earth declared war on the Sound Colony on the Moon, and the Martian colonies Sand and Forest. The colonies of Jupiter: Wind and Rain are neutral, or at least that’s what we thought until-”

“No,” Shino yelled through the open line. “All our work!” Shino’s camouflaged suit dashed out of cover, straight at Heliopolis. It was the kind of move Naruto normally pulled. “Don’t worry, I’m coming!”

“Wait,” Shikamaru cried. “It’s just a drone. You’ll blow our- Damn it Naruto.” 

Naruto had followed Shino. Sneaking around was a bullshit tactic anyways. That’s why he’d painted Kurama bright orange. “No use keeping our cover now!”

A charged beam cannon flew past him and hit the colony. There was no sound in space, but Naruto could still see the impact. The translucent metal got red hot, melted, and the container ruptured. Air blew out of the colony, making the ruptured hole even larger, and sent a few transparent metal bits of shrapnel kareeming towards them. Naruto let out three of his gun bits, remote control cannons that flew and acted separately from the rest of his Gundam, and lazily blasted ‘em. 

Sasuke holstered his beam cannon, and equipped The Strike’s lightsaber. There was some technical name for it, but it was a freakin’ laser sword, so what else could it be but a lightsaber? Naruto wanted a lightsaber. All he got were nine gun bits and nine remote shields. Sasuke was lucky the old man was his daddy, because it meant he got all the best toys.

“You too Sasuke?” Shikamaru asked.

“The Idiot’s correct,” Sasuke said. “Our cover’s blown. Gotta attack now.”

Shikamaru sighed, and joined the other three Gundams, as they blasted their way into the colony. There was no gunfire or anything, just a bunch of gawking soldiers dressed in civilian clothes. The four of them landed in a tight formation on a grassy field. It was weird, the military base looked a lot more like a school than anything else. Maybe they’d landed in a training facility? Well it didn’t matter, reinforcements would be coming quick.

A quick layout of Heliopolis appeared on Naruto’s monitor. That was great, but they still had no idea where Tsunade’s laboratory was.

“Shino, where’s Tsunade’s Lab?” Sasuke asked.

“...” Said Shino. His mobile suit shrugged and flew off. “My drone is in danger. I must save it.”

“It was your duty to find the lab,” Sasuke said through the line, though Naruto doubted Shino was listening. “You’d better find it, or my father will have your-”

“Get me to a computer,” Shikamaru sighed. “One on campus, and I’ll find it.”

“Campus?” Naruto asked.

“Classified,” Sasuke said. “You haven’t earned the clearance for those mission details.”

“We don’t have time,” Shikamaru said. “I’m going to one of the libraries to hack into their security systems and find Tsunade’s Lab. Sasuke, once I’ve done that I’ll send you its location. Your job will be to destroy it.”

“Naruto,” said Shikamaru. “I’m giving you remote access to my Gundam until I can get back into it. It’ll be your job to stall enemy reinforcements. In the meantime I’m going to need you to create a distraction so I can get out of here without a bunch of students taking pictures and leaking my identity online.”

Naruto nodded, and rotated his gun bits, firing energy blasts at the ground. Soldiers- no students- panicked as several tons of dust launched into the air in multiple concussive blasts. Good. Naruto kept on firing, riling them into a frenzy.

Shikamaru’s skinny frame disappeared into the crowd of students, and Naruto recollected his gun bits. He navigated his menu, and confirmed that Shikamaru had given him access to his Gundam. Sweet.

Naruto put Shika’s Shadow Gundam through a series of exercises and stretches. Once he had a good feel for how it moved, he reached for its famous shadow whip, and cracked it against the ground. It was useless in his hands, but Shikamaru could use it to take control of any enemy ship it came into contact with.

“Would you put that thing away,” Sasuke snapped. “Anyone who has ever piloted a mobile suit is going to know it’s empty now. Just sit and wait.”

Naruto tried. But he quickly got bored. “Hey Sasuke, hey Sasuke. Don’t you think that girl is kinda cute?”

“Which one?”

“The one with the pink hair and the big forehead,” Naruto said, rolling his eyes. If Sasuke was a man he’d have instantly spotted the girl. Her forehead was so big, so large, he wanted to kiss it, and she was a real firecracker, throwing rocks at his Gundam and making obscene gestures with her hands. What an absolute dream girl.

“I don’t see her,” Sasuke said angrily. “It doesn’t matter anyways. We’re on a mission. You shouldn’t be looking at girls.”

“Hmm,” Naruto said sagely. “Maybe when you’re a little older you’ll appreciate their beauty.”

“Is it true that last year you dressed up as one? You braided your hair into pigtails, stuffed a bra, and put on a dress?”

“Of course it is,” Naruto said proudly. “My time as Naruko taught me a lot about how a woman sees the world. You know that while I was Naruko I was totally asked out by three dudes? I’d make a kickass babe!”

Sasuke said nothing for a while. “You’re such a fag- Head’s up. Enemy reinforcements have arrived.”

Dozens of Zakus, smaller mobile suits armed with a single rifle, poured through the hole Sasuke had blasted in Heliopolis’es sky. Most of the Zakus were gray and boring, typical mooks of the Forest Colony, but one in the back was green. It must’ve been the enemy ace. Naruto never got to fight the enemy ace. That was reserved for  _ Sasuke. _ Everyone treated him like he was so great, but it was only because Naruto never got a chance to show what he could do. Well that ended now.

Naruto roared, and charged at the Zakus. They rained energy beams down on him, but Naruto made his shield bits dance around him, deflecting the blasts. Action got quick, and there was no time for full thoughts. Left-right-front center-weave-right-down-up-left-left-right. Suddenly he was through the wave of enemies, and staring face to face with the enemy ace. The Green Zaku held up an arm, and the rest of the Zakus crowded around but did not interfere. Common military etiquette. Naruto had finally earned himself an ace duel.

Alright, he spread out his gun bits and shield bits, and started to dance around the Green Zaku. It fired a few energy shots, but Naruto jittered away easily. Easy, easy. Now it was his turn. The gun bits fired, and the Zaku charged at Naruto taking several hits. Naruto smirked, it was only a matter of time till the Zaku’s shields broke and then the battle was- Shit. The Zaku was in his grill, and it- when had it pulled out a knife? Fuck it, Naruto ducked, narrowly dodging the opponent’s thrust, and used his boosters to retreat. Okay that had been too close, he really needed to foc- The Zaku threw the knife. It clanked against Kurama’s chest, right against the cockpit, and Naruto’s forehead slammed against the control dashboard... 

He blinked a couple times... Heard ringing... In his ears… Where was… Where was he again?… Umm… What was that?... Alarms… Flashing lights… Shields down-

Oh-shit-he-was-in-the-middle-of-a-battle-he’d-taken-a-hit-and-now-his-shields-were-down-and-now-the-enemy-was-where-was-the-enemy-oh-there-it-was-it-had-caught-the-knife-apparently-and-now-it-was-about-to-thrust-it-into-the-cockpit-and-Naruto-didn’t-have-time-to-stop-it-

He didn’t have time to stop it. Here? Like this? This was how Naruto Shimura was going to die? So young, and with so many regrets? Why had he been so petty, so focused on what he didn’t have? Why couldn’t he have enjoyed it more? Why couldn’t- The Green Zaku started its killing thrust.

The knife wasn’t serrated, but its edge was coated in a vibrating energy. The blade was straight and crept closer and closer to Naruto’s cockpit. The enemy’s visor was dark and soulless, and he was stupid for looking at the head anyways. The pilot would be hidden in the Zaku’s chest. Naruto had never cared to think much about the individuals inside the enemy ships, but now he wanted to look into the eyes of the man who killed him. Strange really, that it only occurred to him now that there were actually people inside-

The enemy’s knife exploded as a beam of energy ripped through it. Sasuke holstered his beam cannon, drew his lightsaber, and flew up to meet the enemy ace. It was a breach of military etiquette, and the enemy Zaku’s weren’t pleased. They rained energy beams down on him. Naruto’s shield bits raced down and deflected the blows. Sasuke flew through the enemy horde, and engaged with the Green Zaku that had gotten within a hair of disemboweling Naruto.

“Bastard, you know that it’s forbidden to interrupt a duel,” Naruto said over the line, engaging with several zakus.

“You were about to die, idiot,” Sasuke said, parrying the ace’s knife

“There are cameras all over the place.” Naruto babbled. “You’ve ruined your reputation forever.”

“Hnn,” Sasuke grunted thoughtfully. He sliced off the ace’s right hand. “Are you crying?”

“No.” Naruto sniffed, and whispered, “Thanks Sasuke.”

“Please don’t make this-”

“I’m in,” Shikamaru’s voice rang through the communication line. “I was able to find the location of Tsunade’s Laboratory. Sasuke, I’m forwarding it to you.”

“Took you long enough Shikamaru. Idiot, let the ace follow. I’m not done with him,” Sasuke said, and his Gundam dashed away, heading South with full boosters. The Green Zaku hurried after him, as did the rest of the horde. But Naruto cut them off.

“Your battle is with me,” Naruto said, but of course they couldn’t hear him through the heavy walls of their mobile suits. Nonetheless they appeared to have understood. They all shot at him in unison.


	2. Pilot (Part 2)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A continuation of part 1.

Missions were such a drag. There were a bunch of dots on the computer monitor, all buzzing about, and Shikamaru had to think really hard to translate those dots into enemy and allied ships, analyze the enemy formations, assess the strengths and weaknesses of each individual pilot, and synthesize all that information into a coherent strategy. Such a pain!

“Shino,” Shikamaru pressed the one key, and spoke into the microphone. “Have you saved your drone yet? We need you back.”

“...” The line was static, except for the faint sound of breathing. “...Not yet.”

Shino’s Gundam was about thirty miles away anyways. It would take him a while to get back, but it’d sure ease some of Shikamaru’s worries. Eventually he’d need someone to pick him up, or he’d be stuck in Heliopolis. Sasuke was on a mission critical assignment, and Naruto couldn’t be trusted with Shikamaru’s location, so that left only Shino.

“Alright man,” Shikamaru said carefully. “Don’t worry about us. You know how it is. It might be hard, but no matter how things look Naruto always ends up pulling through. I’m sure it’ll be fine.”

“...” Said Shino. “...Naruto’s in trou-”

Shikamaru cut the line and groaned. Manipulating people was such a pain! It made him feel dirty, and he knew Shino would be looking at him sideways when he discovered Naruto mopping the floor with some mooks. Shino wouldn’t be happy being used as a taxi, but…

Was Naruto running? Naruto’s dot was acting as if it was repelled by the enemy Zakus, darting away from them whenever they swarmed. Shikamaru brought his fingers together. Naruto’s greatest strengths were his fearlessness and his ability to fly multiple Gundams at the same time. It made him too reckless to fight in duels, but he could fight an army of average soldiers by himself. He’d done so multiple times, and he’d never flown this conservatively.

Shikamaru pressed the two button and spoke into the computer’s microphone. “What happened Naruto?”

“Nothing,” said Naruto.

“Your shields are down aren’t they?” Asked Shikamaru.

Static. Shikamaru could almost hear the gears turning in Naruto’s head. “What? Of course not!”

Shikamaru sighed. Mother would be illogically angry, even though none of this was his fault. Women could be so troublesome. “Naruto, return to White Base. We don’t need you for this mission anymore.”

“Bullshit!” Said Naruto. “If I don’t defeat these Zakus, nobody will, and if they’re still here we can’t pick you up. You’ll be stranded.”

It was true. Shikamaru would have to go undercover for a while, but he’d be able to sneak out of Heliopolis eventually. He’d find a flight to Mars, and from there a flight to Earth. It might take a few months, maybe even a few years, but when it was all said and done Shikamaru would be okay. If Naruto got shot down though, the squad would… It would be like when they’d lost big brother Itachi.

“Naruto, as your commanding officer I’m ordering you to retreat and repair your ship.”

“No! I’m not leaving you!”

Shikamaru bit his lip. Everything they said was being recorded. If the military wanted, they could comb through the records and charge Naruto with insubordination. At maximum he’d get the death penalty and at minimum he’d be dishonorably discharged. It might be tempting to think that they wouldn’t do that to Naruto, who flew the most popular ship in the solar system, but it was Kurama who was famous, not Naruto. Shikamaru could still rescind the order. Then Naruto wouldn’t be charged with insubordination. Instead he’d be killed in action.

Shikamaru said, “I repeat, retreat and repair your ship Naruto! That’s an ord-”

“What are you still doing here?” Asked a pretty blonde girl, in the doorway of the computer lab. Shikamaru blinked. She was the most beautiful woman he’d ever seen in person, but probably only above average among the Coordinators. “Haven’t you heard the alarms? You need to find the nearest shelter. We’re under attack!”

“I’m… Uh…” Shikamaru didn’t have time for this. “What are you doing here?”

“I’m making sure that geeky little dweebs like you don’t get themselves killed. Listen kid, whatever term paper you’re writing can…” The girl peered at the computer monitor. The one showing the battle.

Shikamaru forced himself to relax. To the untrained eye it would just look a bunch of dots moving around. “Yeah, I know it’s a weird screen sav-”

“How do you have this?” The girl demanded. “This is a display of the battle! We need to send this over to command. Don’t worry, I know how! My daddy’s the head of interrogation!”

“Shikamaru, I’m hearing another voice,” Naruto said urgently. “Are you sure your line is secure? I think someone is listening in!”

“Oh I see,” The bossy girl bullied Shikamaru out of the way. “You’re acting as support for one of the Zakus. Listen pilot, what’s your name?”

“Naruto,” said Naruto, breaching all kinds of security protocol. “Naruto Shimura! Remember it!”

Shikamaru groaned.

“I’m Ino Yamanaka,” said Ino confidently. “Daughter of Inochi Yamanaka.”

“Okay?” Naruto said hesitantly. “Can you put Shikamaru back on the line?”

“I’m the daughter of Inochi Yamanaka,” Ino said again, obviously very impressed with herself.

“...” Said Naruto. And then a miracle happened. “My mistake Ino. I didn’t realize you were the daughter of  _ The Inochi Yamanaka.  _ What can I do for you?”

Shikamaru let out a breath. Thank goodness Fugaku liked to parade them around famous people. It wasn’t the first time Naruto had met someone he was supposed to have heard of.

“I’ve got information on the enemy ships,” said Ino proudly. “There are three mobile suits in total. A black one, an orange one, and a multicolored one. The black one is a drone. You should be able to take it out easily, so target that one first. The orange one should be ignored. It’s shields are down so the pilot is flying conservatively. He’s not very skilled either, so the orange one definitely isn’t a threat. Be careful of the multi-colored mobile suit. That pilot is as talented as an Uchiha. We’re going to want to overwhelm him with numbers.”

Well shit. Shikamaru wasn’t used to listening to Coordinators. This cocky civilian girl had them completely figured out.

“...The orange pilot is actually pretty good,” said Naruto eventually. “But thanks for your input. You’ve been a valuable asset to the war effort.”

Shikamaru bowed, and Ino smiled. “Good luck soldiers.” She skipped out of the room and finally left. God women were troublesome!

“What’s an Uchiha?” Naruto asked curiously.

“Retreat and repair your ship Naruto! That’s an order!”

“Are you still on that?” Naruto laughed. “I’m not going to leave you behind.”

“This isn’t a joke!” Shikamaru said impatiently. “This is a direct command: get the hell out of here!”

“No,” Naruto said stubbornly. “I’m not going to change my mind on this, so give up. If you want to help, tell me how I can get rid of the guy on my tail! I can’t shake him.”

“By returning to base,” Shikamaru said. “This isn’t a joke. You will retreat.”

“You most certainly will not,” said a new, stern voice. The voice of Fugaku Shimura, their commanding officer. 

“Yes sir,” said both Shikamaru and Naruto.

“If you run like a coward I will personally strap you down on the electric chair,” said Fugaku. “For dereliction of duty. Just try it. See if I’m bluffing.”

Naruto said nothing.

Shikamaru started, “He wasn’t-”

“Silence,” Fugaku ordered. “I know your type Naruto. You think you’re a hero. Other people think you’re a hero. Maybe it’s true, but ultimately you lack substance. You’re easily replaceable. Shikamaru is not. He matters to our war effort. Sacrifice yourself to save him if you must.”

“Yes sir,” Naruto said.

“Self destruct if it looks like you’re going to run out of power. We cannot let a Gundam fall into enemy hands. And on that note, I cannot allow you to put Gundam 05 in danger either, you are to disconnect with Shadow Gundam immediately.” Fugaku sighed. “It will be a shame to lose Gundam 04 but I suppose it was inevitable. You are its pilot afterall.”

“...Yes sir,” Naruto said dully.

“I hope to see you soon Shikamaru,” said Fugaku, voice softening. “You’re a valuable asset. Good luck soldier!” Fugaku cut his line.

“Thank you sir,” Shikamaru whispered, ashamed of the smile that touched his lips. Why did he still care about the opinion of that man? The answer was obvious. No matter how much of an ass Fugaku was, Shikamaru would always regard him as a father.

“Don’t worry about Fugaku,” Shikamaru said. “He’s a douche.”

“...No.” Said Naruto. “Fathe- Fugaku’s right. He’s always fuckin’ right. I just wish… It’s not important. All I have to do it win. Shikamaru, how do we get out of this?”

XOXOXOXOXOX

Naruto just wished the old man had waited a little longer before reprimanding him. Was that so much to ask? Wait until he wasn’t in mortal peril before delivering that emotional gut punch? Meh… Maybe it was better this way. Naruto slammed the boosters, jerked Kurama sideways, and watched three Zakus trailing him go right into his sights. He fired his gun bits and watched their lasers rip the Zakus to shreds. He felt the savage pleasure of a pure endorphin rush. Nothing felt better than destroying the enemy.

“Great job Naruto,” said Shikamaru. “Only twenty-two left. Now, see that building to your right? It’s a shelter. Use it as a shield. The Zakus won’t want to fire on you there.”

Naruto huddled behind the shelter. It was no skyscraper, but was the size of headquarters. Maybe a few square city blocks wide, and about twenty stories tall. The windows were heavy, thick, and opaque, made to be resistant to ballistics. He felt exposed, the building seemed too small to properly hide Kurama. He hesitated, and switched on the outside microphones. The sound of women screaming, children crying, and men dying filled his cockpit, but so did something else.

He hadn’t noticed, but there was a long line of civilians waiting for entrance into the shelter. A group of them had swarmed his Gundam and were pelting it with rocks. He normally hated being surrounded by civilians, one false move and he’d squash them like bugs, but he supposed that they’d at least slow enemy fire. It’d be beneficial to the mission to leave them exposed to the battlefield.

Naruto sighed, and shot a bolt of energy into the ground, kicking up a ton of dirt and dust. Once it cleared, he’d found that most of the civilians had run away, except for a beautiful pink haired girl with a large forehead. She was flipping him the bird. He took a step towards her, but she just glared. Then she shook her head, sneered, mouthed the words, “Terrorist coward,” and swaggered back to the shelter line.

For some reason that insult hurt. More than the old man calling him useless, a strange girl named Ino calling him a scrub, Shikamaru deeming him unreliable, or losing to Sasuke. Why? He wasn’t a coward, he knew that, and he couldn’t be a terrorist. He was attacking a military base… That just happened to look like a college… To destroy the work of Tsunade Senju a well known… Well she was most well known for her philanthropy to Naturals and Coordinators alike, but Fugaku had explained that she was a fraud. She, along with Orochimaru and Jiraiya had created the PLANTS. She was the terrorist! Naruto was the hero! He wasn’t a terrorist dammit! He wasn’t!

“Heads up Naruto,” said Shikamaru. “Five bogeys are coming right at you. You’d better retreat.”

Naruto scowled. He was no snivelling terrorist, running from a fight. He launched from the ground, prepared to meet the Zakus head on. He still had five gun bits along with Kurama, so the odds weren’t so bad. 

The Zakus were arranged in v-formation, like a migrating flock of geese. Naruto extended out his gun bits. It was hard to explain how he controlled them, like explaining to someone how you controlled your arm or your leg. He just kind of willed them to move, and had gotten used to maneuvering them as a group in 3D space. The Zakus focused their attention on him, trying to bring down Kurama once and for all. Naruto split his attention, half on maneuvering around enemy fire with Kurama, and half on whittling down the enemy rank with his gun bits. Left-up-shoot-dodge-back-left-switch-shoot-right-all up- down-shoot-shoot-dodge-fuck! Another of his bits had been destroyed. He only had four left and all his shield bits were long gone. He forced his remaining guns to focus on a damaged Zaku whose shields were down. They scooted around a beam from behind, and fired at the Zaku. Three missed, but one got a glancing blow on the Zaku’s foot. It spun wildly, rotating faster and faster, and began to fall from the sky. It wouldn’t kill the pilot, but the Zaku would be out of order until the end of the battle. Shit! The fallen zaku had managed one last shot at him, spinning faster than a top, and by some miracle it had been a bullseye. It had flown straight at the cockpit, straight at Naruto, he’d been dead to rights, but Kurama had moved almost on its own, and Naruto had been saved. Must’ve been his Coordinator reflexes, he’d simply moved faster than he could process, at least that’s how Sasuke always explained it. But Naruto always felt it was different. “Thanks Kurama,” Naruto patted his monitor. “You really saved my ass there.”

“Are you... Are you talking to your ship again?” Shikamaru asked. “You really are a weird kid, you know that?”

“One of a kind,” Naruto said with a smile. “Me and Kurama are gonna protect you Shikamaru. I promise on my-”

“Just focus on finishing up the battle.”

Right. He forced his guns to fire on a slow moving Zaku, and eventually they overwhelmed it. He dodged and weaved and blew another Zaku out of the sky. Only two left. He was gonna win this thing!

Shit! One of the Zakus had fired an errant shot, right at the line of civilians. Naruto reacted on instinct, and sacrificed a gun bit to stop the blast. He exhaled, it was well worth a gun bit to prevent casualties. Even Fugaku wouldn’t be to broken up about it, so long as he didn’t damage the Gundam itself he wouldn’t be in any serious troub-

What the fuck were the Zakus doing? They’d started firing their cannons at the Heliopolis students. Naruto swerved the rest of his gun bits in front of the fire, and stopped the volley. Shit, now he was out of weaponry as well. What the fuck was happening, why were the Zakus trying to massacre their own citizens?

One of the Zakus pointed his rifle down at the civilian shelter, and cocked his head at Naruto. Of course. They were using the civilians as hostages. Naruto growled. He should’ve known better. He was an experienced soldier dammit! This was why the old man always reprimanded him, pretending to be a hero got you killed on the battlefield. Naruto needed to get out of this damn habit. For himself, his squad, and all the people he was protecting! He would not move. He was earth military, he owed nothing to these space colony students.

So when the Zaku’s rifle started to glow Naruto kept his hands from Kurama’s boosters, and when a glowing ball of energy formed at the barrel of the rifle Naruto simply steeled himself. And of course when the ball became a beam, racing towards the innocent, helpless students Naruto simply… Simply dashed in front of it and took the hit for them.

Smoke filled the cockpit, and gravity left it. Red alarm sirens roared from every direction, and half the cameras only showed static. His propulsion system had failed and Kurama was in free fall. The old man would be furious, Sasuke would call him a fool, Shikamaru and Shino would be devastated, and the rest of the world... Well apart from those four Naruto was all alone, the rest of the world wouldn’t care. He’d let his family down. And yet Naruto couldn’t muster any of the self disgust he knew his actions warranted.

Naruto swam to the dashboard, punched through a glass cover, and stared at the self destruct button. “This is it Kurama. It’s been…” He smiled. He was ready.

Gravity returned in a crunch, and Naruto slammed against the floor. Shino laid him on the ground, and regarded the lone Zaku in the sky. What had happened to the other one? It was falling liking a comet, a burning pile of rubble. Shino had gotten the bastard.

“Guys,” said Shikamaru.

“I didn’t need your help Shino,” Naruto boasted. “I had everything under control. But thanks anyway.”

Shino’s camouflaged Gundam regarded him for a moment. “...I should not have abandoned the plan. I failed the squad. I am sorry Naruto, Shikamaru.”

“Guys,” said Shikamaru.

“Think you can take on that Zaku all by yourself?” Naruto asked.

“Guys,” said Shikamaru.

Bug Gundam nodded. “...It will not be a problem.”

“Yeah it will,” Shikamaru said. “You need to get out of here. There are twenty more Zakus on their way- Shit!”

A swarm of Zakus filled the sky. Shino cursed, grabbed Naruto, and flew away. The Zakus followed, and filled the air with lasers. Shino dodged and weaved, but was slowed from the weight of towing Kurama. It was only a matter of time until… They started to descend.

“Out of fuel,” said Shino, and they landed gently on the ground. Shino drew a blaster pistol, and returned fire on the Zakus. But there were too many of them. They rained beams down on the two vulnerables Gundams below, kicking up hundreds of tons of half molten dirt and dust. The cockpit began to swelter, and Naruto lost all view on the battlefield.

“This is your last chance guys,” Shikamaru said. “They can’t see you through the dirt and the dust. Abandon ship.”

“...No,” said Shino.

“Hell no!” said Naruto.

“Don’t be stupid!” Shikamaru yelled. “We can start a new life here. Maybe strike a deal with the Forest Colony’s government.”

“...I will not betray my home,” said Shino.

Naruto could hear Shikamaru’s scowl over the line. “You realize we’re not the good guys in this war? You know what Tsunade’s terrible weapon is, the one we’re trying to destroy? An invention that’ll feed hundreds of thousands of starving children! This is our chance at a peaceful life!”

“As if I’d ever abandon the old man like that!” Naruto roared.

Naruto turned off the communication line. He’d heard it all before: they’d been kidnapped from their real parents, they were being used by power hungry psychopaths, and their missions were pure evil. Shikamaru was always the first to panic, and when he did he got delusional. Their cause was just, Fugaku was a good man, and they had no parents. They had all been genetically designed to be perfect soldiers from an amalgamation of the genetic code of the best pilots of all time. 

The wind howled. The smoke faded. And the sky was clear. The Zakus had disappeared.


	3. Pilot (Part 3)

“We need you to be like your older brother,” Shikamaru said.

Sasuke scowled and turned off the line. He knew what that meant. Naruto had failed to defeat the enemy horde, and now the rest of the team needed saving.

Sasuke had long since destroyed Tsunade’s laboratory and lost the ace tailing him. He searched for the nearest city, and found one ten miles to his North. He flew to it, noticed a large suspension bridge, and sawed it in half with his lightsaber. Next he took off the top thirty stories of a skyscraper, and crushed a statue of some old guy. He peeled off the top layer of a shelter, and inspected the little Coordinators inside. College students, so spoiled, so protected, they probably thought that the war they were funding would never come to effect them, but here he was: an avenger, straight from their nightmares.

A beam missed him by a hair. Sasuke smirked. It was a testament to his acting ability that he’d let the Green Zaku come so close to hitting him. Pretending to be an oblivious fool, perhaps the enemy- Sasuke chuckled-  _ ace _ thought he was as weak as Naruto. He flipped on his outside microphone, so he could hear the screams of the enemy. He’d need to be in a certain mood to properly emulate his dearest departed older brother.

He flew up towards the Zaku and- my god was that knife thrust telegraphed- casually lopped off his opponent’s arm with a slash of his saber. The Zaku panicked, and tried to flee, but Sasuke caught its foot. He unholstered a schneider knife, and stuck it in the Zaku’s hip. Then he released the Zaku, and watched its boosters propel it into an uncontrollable rotation. He switched off his lightsaber, and equipped his rifle. He lined up his sights, and blew off the enemy’s other leg. The Zaku plummeted then, still spinning madly. Sasuke held out a hand, caught the Zaku in a tractor beam, and escorted it gently to the ground. Sasuke touched down himself, and the Zaku threw a knife at him. He dodged it with a sway of his back and slowly walked toward the Zaku. It tried to crawl away so Sasuke stomped off its last remaining arm, feeling it flatten beneath his feet like a soda can. He reached out, grabbed the enemy’s cockpit, and squeezed. Slowly it started to warp and crumple, but Sasuke released it far before any danger could come to the pilot. He’d just wanted to trap the man inside. He held the Zaku’s head in the air and turned on his lightsaber. Slowly, very slowly, he raised the beam sword, bringing it closer and closer to the enemy’s cockpit. Just before it sliced through he stopped, and held the beam in place. The metal just above the enemy grew red hot. The thought of the enemy slowly burning to death brought a smile to Sasuke’s lips. The question was, how long would the enemy survive. A Natural would die in less than thirty seconds, but this pilot was a Coordinator. He could probably survive two or three minutes. So after ninety seconds Sasuke turned off the beam sword and let the cockpit cool, giving the pilot some time to recover. Then he repeated the process three times and turned on his communication line.

“How are things going?” Sasuke asked.

“Good, the enemy is in full retreat,” Shikamaru said.

Sasuke hesitated a moment. There was no need to continue this torture. When Sasuke was a greenhorn, Itachi had explained that if you tortured an enemy ace his wingmen would hear it over their communication lines. It spread terror through enemy lines, and often caused them to flee, therefore it was ethical. Better to win a battle with one gruesome death than several cleaner ones.

But then again this bastard had thought he could just stroll in and kill a member of Sasuke’s team. He switched on his saber and sliced the cockpit in half. Good riddance. Sasuke flew off to join the rest of his team and return to White Base.

Shino was in bad shape, his Gundam marred with scratches and burns, but Naruto’s mobile suit certainly took the cake. Sasuke should have grown used to the Idiot’s incompetence during their many years flying together but even now it astounded him. The dumbass had let a bunch of mooks completely destroy the right side of his Gundam. Kurama was missing an entire arm, a good chunk of its torso, and half of a leg. Shikamaru’s Shadow Gundam, curiously looked pristine, as if it hadn’t even been flown. But hadn’t Shikamaru gifted it to Naruto for this mission? Whatever, it didn’t matter, they’d accomplished their mission and stopped the space colony scum from building their stupid super weapon. Father would surely be pleased. Sasuke had after all completed the mission objective alone, and single-handedly saved the rest of his squad. Not even Itachi could have done better.

“Everyone ready?” Sasuke asked. “Naruto, is your suit still capable of space travel?”

“Of course it is,” Naruto chirped, in that irritating voice of his. “Kurama’s a tough guy!”

Sasuke grunted and unholstered his beam cannon. He turned the power all the way up to eleven, and charged his shot, aiming at the colony’s false blue sky. The laser exploded, and tore a hole in the clouds, exposing Heliopolis to the empty black void of space. Slowly the squadron of four Gundams rose, and flew out of the battleground with their mission accomplished.

When they were halfway to White Base, a light flashed, indicating a caller. Suddenly, for some reason, Sasuke was filled with dread. For the first time all day he was scared. Petrified. But why should he be? They’d done an excellent job. There was nothing to worry about.

“We did it sir,” Naruto said, the only pilot willing to answer. “We destroyed the lab without losing a single Gundam!”

“You should all be ashamed of yourselves,” Father said. It was strange how, even though Father’s voice was barely audible, it seemed so loud, heavy, and overwhelming. Sasuke couldn’t help but shake.

“Shino, you broke formation,” Father said. “Your lack of discipline put the entire mission in jeopardy. You’ll be in solitary for a month.”

“...Yes sir. I’m sorry sir,” said Shino with a slight quiver.

“Shikamaru, you failed to keep your subordinate under control. Your weakness as a leader is unacceptable. I’m dropping you a rank.”

“Yes sir,” said Shikamaru, unable to keep the hurt from his voice. “I’m sorry sir.”

“And Sasuke,” Fugaku said. “Your work was adequate.”

Slowly a warm feeling engulfed his stomach. A faint smile touched his lips.

“Keep working hard to be a great pilot like your brother.”

And just like that the feeling was gone, replaced by a cold nothingness. Sasuke felt like… He’d completed thirty-seven more missions than Itachi, he’d taken down twenty-eight more aces, and he’d attained a higher enemy reward than his brother ever had. But he could never replace- no replace wasn’t the right word, he’d never wanted to replace Itachi- but he could never even register in father’s eyes as anything more than a lesser version of his brother. He hated it.

The four pilots flew in sullen silence.

“Hey cheer up guys,” Naruto said. “The mission wasn’t all bad. Me and Sasuke met a total dime- remember that pink-haired babe?”

“No,” Sasuke grunted.

“Oh this girl was a complete smokeshow,” Naruto blathered, to nobody in particular. “Complete package. Great body. Great figure. And a super sexy attitude if you know what I mean.”

“I’m done listening to you squeal like a pubescent school girl,” Sasuke said, cutting the line. It was obvious that Naruto was blind, as the sakura-haired woman had been much more than a  _ dime _ . She was the light in the darkness, a true paragon of beauty, her lips like cherry blossoms, her forehead as big and bountiful as the ocean! And that attitude! Such fierceness, like a lioness defending her pride, such...

XOXOXOXOX

“Out, all of you,” Neji ordered to the crowd of peasants, huddled around the only television in the orphanage. “Princess Hinata wants to watch highlights from the war!”

“It’s okay, it’s okay,” said precious Hinata. “I like boxing!”

The dirty lowborns regarded Hinata for a moment. “Who cares about boxing? I wanna see The Strike!” Said a particularly despicable eight year old. The highlights were fairly standard. The Strike fought a Green Zaku and dispatched it with cruel precision. The Bug Gundam sniped down a rank and file Zaku. And then… Yes, always the star of the show, the flashy Gundam known as Kurama took an energy blast for what appeared to be a crowd of college students. Typical of that stupid pilot, to risk a mobile suit with an estimated worth in the hundreds of billions for a few worthless lives.

The children all cheered, and Hinata lit up like a lightbulb. Such a childish crush. She didn’t even know what the pilot looked like, much less anything about him. The earth government propped up Kurama as everything a Natural should be. Not as talented as a Coordinator but more valiant, not always capable of succeeding but always willing to try, not always making the correct decision but always making the right one. Naturals knew that they could not compete with the Coordinators but argued that they could be superior in their own way: More moral, more heroic, more  _ holy _ . The Gundam pilots were marketed as symbols of humanity and as such could not have their identities revealed. Kurama’s pilot especially, was propped up as a paragon of Natural virtue.

It all stank. For a long time Neji had thought that it was the beliefs themselves that were hollow. Only a NewType like him could compete with a Coordinator. The vast majority of Naturals were simply inferior, and would do well to accept that fact. But as he studied the radiant glow from his sweet cousin, he grew more and more certain that the pilot of Kurama was a fraud. And the sooner he was exposed, the sooner his Hinata would move on from her naive infatuation.

XOXOXOXOXOX

“See Forehead, like I told you, those huge mobile suits were terrorists,” Ino lectured, in that annoying mixture of bossiness and smugness that only she was capable of.

Sakura tried another internet search.  _ Giant Orange Zaku Heliopolis _ . Again she found loads of articles on an earthling terrorist attack, and the fifteen dead ROTC students who had lost their lives in a desperate attempt to protect the campus. She was able to find a clip of a Green Zaku in combat with the Orange Zaku, but there was only information on the Green Zaku’s pilot: A man named Mizuki Umino who had been in charge of training the students. The internet said that the terrorists had destroyed the work of Tsunade Senju, Sakura’s favorite professor, which would have helped feed hundred of thousands of starving settlers in The Rain Colony. “Shut up Ino-pig! I know what I’m talking about,” Sakura said. “That Orange Zaku was protecting us.”

“You really should stop calling me a pig, Forehead,” said Ino, rolling her eyes. “I was voted Miss Heliopolis you know? If I’m a pig that must make you a ram, with that crazy forehead of yours.”

And next Ino would be talking about how she was the daughter of _The_ _Inochi Yamanaka_. Ino had the personality of a pig, and hence the nickname. It was crazy that Ino, the second-best student of her class, had never been able to figure that out. “Those gray Zakus were shooting at us,” said Sakura. “The Orange Zaku sacrificed himself to save us. I can’t find any clips of that though. The government’s trying to hide something.”

“Obviously,” Ino bit her lip. “Those terrorists were Coordinators. They moved too well to be Naturals. They couldn’t be from earth. Must’ve been Sand.”

“You’re such an idiot Ino,” Sakura chuckled. “We’re already at war with Sand. Why wouldn’t they just blame the attack on them?”

“So what are you saying?” Asked Ino.

“I don’t know,” said Sakura. “You’re right that the attack couldn’t have been from earth. They like us now, even if they are a bit jealous of well… This,” Sakura indicated to herself and Ino. Not only were they more beautiful and intelligent than any Natural could possibly be, they, like all other Coordinators, were not afflicted with the curse of aging. They would live forever. Sakura felt tremendous sympathy for Naturals, who were unfairly forced to live hideously short lives as ugly idiots. “We’ve spent so much money trying to help them become Coordinators like us that they really have no motive to do something like this. We’re their only hope for eternal life.”

“Wait,” Ino bullied Sakura off the keyboard, and surfed to the student directory. “During the attack I met a pilot named Naruto Shimura. Maybe he knows something.”

“I think you’re onto something,” said Sakura, putting her hand on Ino’s shoulder. If the bitchy blondie helped her find the future Mister Haruno, then she’d be more than willing to set aside their little rivalry. Hell, she’d let Ino take back the number one student ranking. Right now, all that mattered to Sakura was finding her prince, her Romeo, her savior, the heroic pilot of the Orange Zaku.

XOXOXOXOXOX

The phone buzzed and rang. Naruto groaned and rolled over in bed. With great reluctance he picked up his cell, and glanced at the number. Caller unknown. Great. “Hello?” Naruto answered grumpily. “Whoever you are this had better be good.”

“Naruto,” said a calm smooth voice. “It’s been a long time.”

Naruto bolted out of bed, suddenly wide awake. “You’re alive?”

“Hnn,” said Itachi. “We have much to discuss.”


	4. Flashback

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In this chapter Itachi tells the tale of how he and the rest of the squad were found.

“You are in grave danger,” Itachi murmured melodiously. “An association of terrifyingly skilled pilots is after-”

“Are you okay?” Naruto asked. He was out of bed now, pacing his dimly lit sleeping quarters restlessly. After two steps he hit a wall, had to turn around, and could take two more before hitting the opposite wall. There was enough space for a small desk and a water heater for instant ramen. “You’re under orders right? Undercover. That’s why the Old Man said you were dead. It’s obvious!” Naruto put a hand over his mouth. He’d said that a bit too loud. Since Itachi was undercover, it was probably important to be covert and quiet. “But you can do it Itachi! Believe it!”

“...” Said Itachi. Naruto heard him breathing on the line. Wheezing. “The line is bugged, but…” His breath whistled as he exhaled. “If you look at…”

“You’re sick,” Naruto said. “But Coordinators don’t-”

Itachi chuckled. “Everyone dies Naruto. Do not waste time. Ask-”

“When are you coming back?” Naruto demanded.

“If I do my job correctly, we will never see each other again,” Itachi said smoothly.

“No! You’re coming back!” Naruto said, hammering a fist down on his desk. He softened. “Sasuke needs you.”

“...” Each of Itachi’s breaths was labored. “...”

“You should be with us Itachi,” Naruto said. “You’re family. You’re on an important mission, I get that, but family sticks together. Come back! Come back or I’ll find you, and beat some sense into you.”

“...” Itachi said. “... You do not understand.”

“You’re the one who doesn’t understand!” Naruto roared into his phone. “You don’t see what Sasuke is like! He doesn’t talk anymore! He no longer writes his beautiful poetry! No laughs, no smiles, everything has to be about the mission, and every mission he acts like an emo butthole with a stick up his butt!”

“...” Itachi said. “I see we will not get anywhere unless I explain myself. A long time ago, in a land far, far away...”

XOXOXOXOX

Maybe this one would be different. The orphanage was beaten up, worn down, even compared to other orphanages in this accursed land called Japan. It was an old buddhist temple, shingles on the mildewy roof long broken, weeds growing in the cracks between bricks, vines choking the life out of what would have been beautiful sakura trees. This was one of the many countries in the powerful Trade Federation, and like many other countries on the coast of the Eurasian continent it had been reliant on nuclear energy. The PLANTS sent by the space colonies had made nuclear fission and fusion impossible. It had been to stop another Bloody Sunday, the name for the nuclear assault the earth had launched on The Forest Colony, from occurring. It had been necessary of course, Bloody Sunday had taken mother from them, but the price of the PLANTS was steep. The cost was, the cost was…

Father opened the door. Not locked then. Itachi didn’t know what to make of it. Thievery was common in this part of Tokyo. Perhaps this orphanage had nothing worth stealing.

That hypothesis was confirmed by the interior of the temple. Empty. A tired, skeletal, middle-aged woman stared at them with gaunt brown eyes. She was surrounded by children, arms so skinny Itachi could see the separation of the radius and ulna bones in their forearms.

“Sir,” rasped the woman. She shook off the children clutching her, and crawled to Father. “Sir, do you see anything you like? Would you like to buy any of the children? My scarf? It’s good quality? Sex? You can have your way with me for a thousand yen… A hundred? Or perhaps you prefer children? They would be honored...”

Fugaku pinched his nose with a pair of fingers. “The children. May I inspect them?”

“Of course sir,” the woman said. Even her words sounded hungry. Desperate. The children lined up, one by one, but Itachi already knew that none of them were what they were looking for. 

“If I have five yen, and I add three, then multiply by five, then divide them into piles of seven, how many yen would be left over?” Father asked. It was a question any Coordinator past the age of two could do without training.

“What does add mean?” A child asked. Father answered, and further explained what numbers were. He allowed the children to indicate their answers with fingers. A few children held up five fingers, so Father supplied another question. This time it was about analyzing a story, and none of the Natural children were able to supply him a satisfactory answer.

“You,” Father said, pointing at the smallest of the children. “Your name?”

“Ritsuke,” the boy said eagerly.

“You held up two fingers for my first question. That was incorrect. I cannot save every child, so I must prioritize the survival of the strong and intelligent,” Father said coldly. “You are neither. It is for this reason, Ritsuke, that I will leave you here, where you are destined to perish.”

Ritsu-, the boy, Itachi could not bear to attribute him with a name, started to cry. He was not consoled by the other children in the orphanage. They hadn’t been judged by Father yet, they still had hope, and they wouldn’t risk Father’s wrath for a doomed child’s feelings. But Father, one-by-one, eliminated their hope for salvation. He was specific about why for each child, stating their name and their mistake, and telling each and every one of them that they weren’t worth saving.

It would have bothered Itachi a few months ago. Now it was simply routine. Itachi wandered off, as Father gave some advice to the head of the orphanage. It was his chance to explore, to grow acquainted with the homeland. Indeed, the temple was beautiful, in a broken unkempt way. Vines, blackberries, ivy, and nettles had halfway taken over the grounds, creating a mat of green over old cement walkways. All the blackberries had been eaten of course. A good few of the black orb-shaped berries sprouting from the ivy by Itachi’s feet had been eaten as well. Of course those were poisonous.

No, they hadn’t been eaten. A pile of the poisonous berries had been ground up into a pulp and placed on the foot of a nearby statue. It had been easy to miss, as a swarm of ants had surrounded it, making it look like a black spot from a distance. Itachi inspected one of the ants.

It was large and red, with giant mandibles trying to bite his fingers. Its thorax swung in his grip, a needle like stinger stabbing at his hand. Ants had evolved from wasps about a hundred million years ago, and Itachi could see their close resemblance. Quite fascinating.

“Don’t hurt it,” a voice called, its speaker hidden by the tall grass.

Itachi put the ant down gently, and investigated the child. As thin and spindly as the others in the orphanage, there was something off about this one. Perhaps the clarity of his voice? He spoke like an adult, but he couldn’t have been older than three.

What happened next was astonishing. A small bird flew down, pecking at the line of ants, and the boy became a flurry of efficient motion. Most three-year-olds toddled, but this three-year-old sprinted at the tiny canary, caught it as it attempted to fly away, and swiftly broke its neck. 

It was clear now. This child was strong. This child was what they were looking for. This child was a Coordinator. This child was worth saving.

A tiny part of Itachi’s mind protested. Yes this child was strong, yes this child was intelligent, and thus he needed their help least of all. He, unlike the others, could find a way to survive without them. This child was not who they should be saving. Itachi ruthlessly squashed that aspect of his mind. Stifled his protests. The strong and the lucky survived while the weak and the unlucky perished. That was simply the logic of war. To defy it was to defy Father. Foolishness.

“Come with me,” Itachi said.

The urchin followed him, clutching his tiny bird tightly, as if it was his most prized possession in the entire world. Because of course, as a small source of calories in this famine infested land, it was.

“What’s this you’ve found?” Father took one look at the child, and ruffled Itachi’s hair. “That’s my boy.”

That was not the last orphanage he and Father visited. Most visits were uneventful. They came. They saw. They left. Never did they find another child like Shino. The only other time they encountered a Coordinator was when they were confronted by a gang of children shortly after leaving an orphanage deep in the country.

The tactics themselves were unimpressive, fairly standard to be sure, but the division of labor among the children was nothing short of astonishing. A few children kept watch over the roads into town, and alerted the leader, who put together a force of larger more nourished children to execute the mugging. In moments Itachi and his Father had their would be assailants pinned and incapacitated, but Father’s curiosity had been sparked. The leader, another three-year-old, had pushed himself to the limit. Half delirious on adderall, the wispy black-haired boy hadn’t slept in eight days. Always alert, always prepared for an opportunity.

Itachi had been sure that after capturing Shikamaru, he and Father would return home. The novelty of this excursion was long gone, he missed Sasuke, and even more pressing, he was starting to worry about Father. Father’s lips had begun to crack, his eyes had sunken into his skull, his skin had taken on an unhealthy gray sheen, his strong muscular body had withered away, until his frame was sickeningly skeletal, matching that of the pathetic Naturals they were forced to visit.

“Father, we should just go home. Return to Sasuke. This isn’t good for you,” Itachi said one night.

Father snarled, and while in the past Itachi would have cowered, the once fearsome man more closely resembled a mangy dog than a mighty wolf. “You think I care about the Naturals? You think their squalor bothers me? This war means nothing. They would have been unnecessary, war or no. It is their place, Itachi, to starve and struggle, to live without purpose, and to die forgotten. To try and change that is futile nonsense. Dreams of utopia end in dystopia. The blame for all this famine, for all this pain, for all this suffering, it is all because of a man who wished to change our cruel reality into a dream of peace. So I will not leave, I will not abandon my search, not until I have found him, and made things right.”

So the search continued. Itachi no longer knew what they were looking for. A child? A man? A Coordinator? Minato Namikaze himself? Itachi did not know. But he did grow to hate them. These sickly, stupid, Naturals with their accursed weakness.

It would have been better if Father’s search grew frenzied. If any hint of madness, guilt, or fatigue had shown in Father. But they kept searching orphanages, one or two every single day. Father was so methodical, machine like in his unwavering determination. 

“That’s odd,” Father said, as the two stepped into an old two bedroom apartment. It had been unlocked of course, but Itachi had grown used to that. “I told the director that we would be visiting.”

Itachi, however, wasn’t surprised. This was the orphanage equivalent of a mom-and-pop shop. Just two or three children, being raised by a nineteen-year-old. He raised an eyebrow. Cartons of instant ramen overflowed from a garbage can, a few fruit flies buzzing about them. Wealthier than the typical orphanage then, so the children wouldn’t be emaciated and starving. Not that it bothered Itachi anymore.

A wail pierced its way down the hall, emanating from behind a wooden door. Itachi ran towards the howling, and kicked the door from its hinges. A man held down a struggling boy, a surgical knife pressed against his face. It was the last of several incisions, three on each cheek, that pierced all the way through the flesh. The betrayal cut through all, a caretaker harming his own ward, for no reason other than malice.

This was a level of cruelty that Itachi had not yet encountered, even with all his wanderings through the depths of starvation and misery, and yet he understood the man’s motive in an instant. The boy, even with tears obscuring blue eyes, was the spitting image of Minato Namikaze. The man responsible for the Second Solar War, the genocide of millions of Naturals, and the death of Itachi’s mother, that man had clearly had a son, or perhaps a clone. A spark of rage filled Itachi’s belly.

But Father moved first. A strike to the teenager’s wrist and he’d dropped the knife, a flowing sweep of the legs to get the teen on the ground. Father clambered on top of the man, a knee on the small of his back, bending the man’s arm to a painful angle.

“Why?” Father asked calmly, quietly, almost in a sleepy murmur. It was the voice he used when he sang melodies to Itachi’s baby brother.

“Can’t you tell just by looking at him?” The man spat, his chin smearing against the semi-congealed blood on the bathroom’s laminate tiles. “He has evil in him. He looks just like Minato Namikaze, a man worse than Adolf Hitler or Ghengis Kahn. I’m doing the world a favor, eliminating that monster’s genes from-”

The explosion of a gun shot rang through Itachi’s ears. Father let the man’s head fall from his grip, and put his handgun back into his coat. “Itachi, help me move the body.” Itachi’s brilliant mind could decipher the movement of Father’s lips so easily it barely even registered that he could not hear him.

“Mister, mister,” the boy was shaking the man, crying even harder than before. “Wake up. Wake up mister.”

It was funny. The blood on the floor had formed a growing puddle. But most of it was coming from the hysterically sobbing boy, with a few measly cuts on his cheeks, and not the dead man with half his brain splattered on the shower curtains. Itachi knew why of course.

Corpses didn’t bleed.

Father- Fugaku- had killed a man. Murdered him. He’d dragged the carcass across the bathroom, and left its head in the toilet. “It’s bad form for a visitor to leave a mess,” Fugaku explained.

Itachi observed from the corner.

“Does this bother you Itachi?” Fugaku asked.

Itachi tried to shake his head, but found that he couldn’t.

Fugaku raised an eyebrow. He turned to the sink, washed his blood encrusted hands, scrubbing lightly with soap until they were as clean as before he’d become a murderer. Steam tinted the bathroom mirror. He shut off the water, and dried his hands on a towel.

“Do you think this is the first time I’ve killed a man?”

Of course it wasn’t. Itachi shook his head.

“This is peace,” Fugaku said. “These are the good times. Cherish them.” He ruffled Itachi’s hair and turned. He rummaged through the apartment, coming back with a needle and thread, and stitched the boy’s cheeks closed. Itachi waited in the corner, as still as the corpse leaking blood in the toilet. Finally, Fugaku was finished. He cleaned his hands in the sink, and slapped them together.

“Let’s go. The mission is over. It was a waste of time. I had hoped that… Well, it was a foolish wish. The boy is a Natural. He is not to be blamed, but he is useless to us.”

Good. Itachi wanted to leave, get out of this horrible apartment, run from this land of famine, and return to the prosperity of the Forest Colony.

“Wait,” the boy tugged on Fugaku’s collar.

“Father,” Itachi said carefully. “This boy does resemble the late president. Perhaps we should-”

Fugaku held up a hand, silencing Itachi. “Tell me boy, if I have five yen, and I add three, then multiply by five, then divide them into equal piles of seven, how many yen would be left over?”

The boy stared up at Fugaku. No longer crying, no longer hysterical. His features did not have the perfection of a Coordinator’s, his movements were clumsy like a Natural’s, but perhaps that was because of the pain of having his cheeks carved like a jack-o-lantern. Perhaps his looks were marred by his injury. Perhaps that was why Fugaku had given him this one, last chance.

Itachi knew that this boy would not survive unless they saved him. Not with his wounds. He’d be eating through a straw for months, and even if by some miracle he survived, he’d still share a striking resemblance to Minato Namikaze. That was the true death penalty.

The boy must have known somehow, that Fugaku was his only opportunity for survival. He was staring up at him, with those sparkling blue eyes, with a level of clarity that gave Itachi hope.

Answer the question correctly, Itachi silently pleaded, and prove yourself worthy of salvation.

“Th-thanks fer-fer-fer saving me Old Man,” his voice stuttered, his words were rounded like a toddler’s, this boy was a Natural through and through.

Fugaku stared down at the boy, his eyes black and opaque, his face stern and wooden. “Do you want to come with us?”

The boy nodded.

“Answer my questions as a soldier, for that is what you will be. Say ‘yes sir’, or ‘no sir’.”

“Yes sir.”

“Will you do as I demand?”

“Yes sir.”

“Will you live as I demand?”

“Yes sir.”

“Will you die as I demand?”

“Yes sir.”

“Then come with us Naruto, and become a Coordinator who would make your Father proud.”

“Who is Naruto?”

Fugaku slapped the boy, and his stitches broke. Blood seeped from his whiskers- the wounds on his cheeks- but they did look a lot like whiskers. 

“Naruto is a Coordinator,” Fugaku said. “Naruto is a soldier. You are Naruto, boy, and you will answer as befitting your station.”

“Yes sir!” the boy, Naruto, said, giving a sloppy salute. Then he grinned so hard the rest of his stitches broke, and hopped into Fugaku’s arms and hugged him deeply. Itachi braced for another slap, but instead saw an expression he hadn’t seen on Father’s face since Bloody Sunday.

A gentle smile.

  
  



End file.
